But in the end, it’s impossible to predict the future or to guarantee that you won’t get breast cancer.

Cancer Risk Assessment

Breast cancer risk assessment calculators often take into consideration your family background, your overall lifestyle, and what you eat.

If your mother or sister had breast cancer, this can indicate that you have a higher risk of getting cancer. But just because one or more family members had cancer doesn’t mean that you’re prone to get it. Your family member may have lived a completely different lifestyle than you did.

Studies also show that people who consume a lot of alcohol and don’t practice healthy eating habits are more prone to get breast cancer. On the other hand, even skinny people who eat whole foods and abstain from alcohol have gotten cancer.

There are also some factors that you may have never thought about. At least one breast cancer risk assessment calculator shows that a woman having children later in life has a slightly higher chance of getting cancer than a woman who had her first child in her 20s.

Risk assessment calculators often ask questions about your race, how many fruits and vegetables you have, and how many benign tumors you’ve had in your lifetime.

Birth Control and Cancer Risk?

Some argue that using birth control can increase your chances of getting breast cancer. But studies have shown different results in these matters.

Some say that the early birth control pills in the 60s had higher levels of hormones than the birth control pills that exist today. But many women would rather be safe than sorry and avoid the birth control pill completely.

Natural Treatment Options

It’s not a bad idea to take these assessments, but remember that they’re just projections. The best thing you can do is educate yourself about breast cancer through sites such as Cancer Fighting Strategies, talk to your doctor, and check regularly for lumps.

If the cancer is detected early then you can often stop it. However, early symptoms often don’t include pain, so it’s important to know how to check regularly and to know how to do it right.